ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the process as interpretations of race and ethnicity entered the field as part of a larger "war and society" historiography. It reveals how and why the Civil War experiences may have solidified the identities of self and other among minorities. After the Civil War ended, the US Army's operations shifted to the American West, where racism and ethnocentrism were ubiquitous on the frontier. Historians have compared the influence of the racism in the American West with other regions and conflicts. Most histories of the Second World War appearing between the late 1940s and early 1980s concentrated on battles, leaders, weapons, or strategy. The conflicts in Vietnam and Kenya represent the varied historiographies assessing racism and ethnocentrism during the Cold War. The effects of racism and ethnocentrism during the Vietnam War went beyond American attitudes and actions. According to anthropologist, the ethnic Vietnamese majority oppressed an ethnic minority group in the Central Highlands called the Montagnards.
